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Tex Avery predicted the internet in 1949!
Well, except for the flying plungers.
Tex Avery was a cartoonist ahead of his time with his MGM theatrical short, The House of Tomorrow. It was part of a satirical series parodying promotional films that imagined what life would be like in the year 2050. The short begins with the house unfolding out of a small box and building itself into a large mansion. Then, Avery takes us through the house and the many newfangled inventions in it, while wedging in plenty of mother-in-law jokes. There are tanning lamps with a giant spatula that flips you over, a robot sandwich maker, and even three screen televisions, but it's one unnamed invention that's captured our attention.
A child walks up to a box that looks like a television or stereo. It's adorned with candy, ducklings, and a rocket ship on top, too! The narrator describes it as "This modern little wonder relieves Mother and Dad of the problem of answering Junior's many questions." Then the kid presses the button and prattles off, "What is a brain? How old am I? I want a bicycle. Can I have a candy? What's a Republican? I want a nickel. Why do we eat? Is Santa Claus Real? Can I go to the show?" This box appears to be fulfilling the role of a search engine for the kid until it yells, "Ah, shut up!" The little hatch lifts, and a plunger flies out and plugs the kid's mouth.
The kid, in his bratty little sailor suit, definitely has iPad kid energy, so Tex Avery's prediction about children relying on the internet for every piece of information (or for Chat GPT to do their homework) still holds weight today. What do you think: Did Tex Avery accurately predict Google? Do you wish a plunger would fly out of your computer when you've been on the internet too long?
